Athletic ball

• US 4,577,865 A
• Filed: 06/13/1984
• Issued: 03/25/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Molten Corporation 1-8 Yokogawashinmachi Nishi-Ku Hiroshima-Shi Hiroshima-Ken
• Original Assignee: Molten
• Inventors: Shishido, Hideomi
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mosconi, Vincent A.
• Application Number:
  US06/620,289
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 273/58 E, 273/58 G, 273/213, 273/65 EF
• US Class Current: 473/570
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2041/005 with counterweight for adjusting the centre of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/04 with an eccentric centre of gravity; with mechanism for changing the centre of gravity solid balls A63B37/10
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration

Abstract

An athletic ball comprising (a) a ball having an airtight bladder with an air injecting valve, (b) a housing provided with the ball on the opposite side of the valve without interfering the airtightness of the bladder, a detector for detecting an application of external force to the ball, an operation converter for converting the detected impact signal to a numerical information signal, a display for displaying the numerical information and/or for generating a sound according to the numerical information, and a battery power source; the converter, display and battery power source being accommodated in the housing, and the sum of the weights of all of the above elements being adjusted to the weight which does not substantially interfere the impact resilience of the bladder and is substantially the same as that of the valve.

Claims

1. An athletic ball, comprising:

(a) a ball having an airtight bladder for giving impact resilience to the ball in which compressed air is charged through an air injection valve,

(b) a concave housing provided within the ball on the opposite portion of the ball from the valve and contacting the surface of the bladder while maintaining the airtightness of the bladder,

(c) means for detecting an external force applied to the ball and generating a signal in response thereto,

(d) operation means for converting the signal from the detecting means into a numerical information signal relating to the external force applied to the ball,

(e) means for displaying the numerical information obtained in the operation means, and

(f) a battery power source for driving the above means, said detecting means, operation means, displaying means and battery power source being accommodated in the housing, and the sum of the weight of the housing, the detecting means, the operation means, displaying means and battery power source being substantially the same as the weight of the valve, and said weight sum being small enough such that said housing and elements disposed therein do not substantially interfere with the impact resilience of the ball.

2. The athletic ball of claim 1, wherein a detecting means comprises an integrating circuit for integrating the detected impact signals.

3. The athletic ball of claim 1, wherein a cover of the ball has a transparent part at a region corresponding to the surface of the display means so as to be capable of seeing the display on the display panel when the cover is attached to the ball.

4. The athletic ball of claim 1, wherein the operation means comprises a number counter for counting the number of applications of external force to the ball, and the content of the number counter is displayed on the display means.

5. An athletic ball, comprising:

(a) a ball having an airtight bladder for giving impact resilience to the ball in which compressed air is charged through an air injection valve,

(b) a concave housing provided within the ball on the opposite portion of the ball from the valve and contacting the surface of the bladder while keeping the airtightness of the bladder,

(c) a cover for concealing an opening in the housing,

(d) means for detecting an external force applied to the ball,

(e) operation means for converting the signal from the detecting means into a numerical information signal relating to the external force,

(f) means for displaying the numerical information obtained in the operation means, and

(g) a battery power source for driving the above means, said detecting means, operation means, displaying means and battery power source being accommodated in the housing, and the sum of the weights of the housing, the cover, the detecting means, operation means, displaying means and battery power source being substantially the same as the weight of the valve, and said weight sum being small enough such that said housing and those elements disposed therein do not substantially interfere with this impact resilience of the ball.

6. The athletic ball of claim 5, wherein the detecting means comprises an integrating circuit for integrating the detected impact signals.

7. The athletic ball of claim 5, wherein the cover has a transparent part at a region corresponding to the surface of the display means so as to be capable of seeing the display on the display panel when the cover is attached to the ball.

8. The athletic ball of claim 5, wherein the operation means comprises a number counter for counting the number of applications of external force to the ball, and the content of the number counter is displayed on the display menas.

9. The athletic ball of claim 5, wherein the operation means comprises a time counter for counting a time interval of two successive applications of external force to the ball and means for multiplying the content of the time counter by a certain coefficient which is predetermined depending on the value of the content of the time counter, and the result of the multiplication is displayed on the display means.

10. The athletic ball of claim 5, wherein the operation means comprises a number counter for counting the number of applications of external forces to the ball, a time counter for counting a time interval of two successives applications of external force to the ball and means for multiplying the content of the time counter by a certain coefficient which is predetermined depending on the value of the content of the time counter, and the result of the multiplication and the content of the number counter are displayed on the display means alternately in a given period.

11. The athletic ball of claim 10, wherein the operation means comprises means for judging whether or not the content of the time counter is within a given period which is defined by a minimum period determined on the basis of bounds of the ball and a maximum period on the basis of a duration time of the ball in the air, and means for inhibiting the counting operations of the number counter and the time counter when the content of the time counter is outof the given period.

12. An athletic ball, comprising

(a) a ball having an airtight bladder for giving impact impact resilience to the ball in which compressed air is charged through an air injection valve,

(b) a concave housing provided within the ball on the opposite portion of the ball from the valve and being in contact with the surface of the bladder while keeping the airtightness of the bladder,

(c) a cover for concealing an opening in the housing,

(d) means for detecting an external force applied to the ball,

(e) operation means for converting the signal from the detecting means into a numerical information signal relating to the external force,

(f) means for generating various information sounds according to the numerical information signal, and

(g) a battery power source for driving the above means;

said detecting means, operation means, generating means and battery power source being accommodated in the housing, and the sum of the weights of the housing, the cover the detecting means, the operation means, the generating means and battery power source being substantially the same as the weight of valve, and said weight sum being small enough such that said housing and those elements disposed therein do not substantially interfere with the impact resilience of the ball.

13. The athletic ball of claim 12, wherein the detecting means comprises an integrating circuit for integrating the detected impact signals.

14. The athletic ball of claim 12, wherein the detecting means comprises a piezoelectric device.

15. The athletic ball of claim 14, wherein the sound generating means comprises a piezoelectric device, and the two piezoelectric devices of the detecting means and the sound generating means are accomondated within a hollow casing in a two-stage structure.

16. The athletic ball of claim 12, wherein the operation means comprises a number counter for counting the number of applications of external force to the ball, and the sound generating means is activated to generate the information sound when the content of the number counter is changed, and a kind of said sound generated in case where the content of the number counter is "1" is different from a kind of the sound generated in case where the content of the number counter is more than "1".

17. The athletic ball of claim 12, wherein the operation means comprises a time counter for counting a time interval of two successive applications of external force to the ball and means for judging whether or not the content of the time counter is within a given period which is defined by a minimum period determined on the basis of bounds of the ball and a maximum period determined on the basis of a duration time of the ball in the air, and the sound generating means generates an information sound when the content of the time counter is judged to be outof the given period by the judging means, and said generated information sound is different from the sounds generated when the content of the time counter is "1" or more.

18. An athletic ball, comprising:

(a) a ball having an airtight bladder for giving impact resilience to the ball in which compressed air is charged through an air injection valve,

(b) a concave housing provide within the ball on the opposite portion of the ball from the valve and being in contact with the surface of the bladder while keeping the airtightness of the bladder,

(c) a cover for concealing an opening in the housing,

(d) means for detecting an external force applied to the ball,

(e) operation means for converting the signal from the detecting means into a numerical information signal relating to the external force,

(f) means for displaying the numerical information obtained in the operation means,

(g) means for generating various information sounds according to the numerical information signal, and

(h) a battery power source for driving the above means;

said detecting means, operation means, the displaying means, the sound generating means and the battery power source being accommodated in the housing, and the sum of the weights of the housing, the cover, the detecting means, the operation means, the displaying means, the sound generating means and the battery power source being substantially the same as the weight of the valve, and said weight sum being small enough such that said housing and those elements disposed therein do not substantially interfere with the impact resilience of the ball.

19. The athletic ball of claim 18, wherein the operation means comprises a number counter for counting the number of applications of external force to the ball, the content of said number counter being displayed on the display means, and the sound generating means comprises means for driving the sound generating means when the content of the number counter is changed.